PSYCHOLOGICAL DISTRESS, DEPRESSIVE SYMPTOMATOLOGY, COPING AND DSM-III-R ICD-10 PERSONALITY-DISORDERS - A STUDY AMONG PRIMARY MENTAL-HEALTH-CARE PATIENTS/
Ehm. Eurelingsbontekoe et al., PSYCHOLOGICAL DISTRESS, DEPRESSIVE SYMPTOMATOLOGY, COPING AND DSM-III-R ICD-10 PERSONALITY-DISORDERS - A STUDY AMONG PRIMARY MENTAL-HEALTH-CARE PATIENTS/, Personality and individual differences, 23(3), 1997, pp. 407-417
The association between psychological distress, coping and personality
disorders (PDs) was studied among a group of 230 primary mental healt
h care patients by means of Principal Component Analysis (PCA) and ste
pwise multiple regression analyses. The PCAs revealed that those who s
uffer from personality pathology tend to use passive coping and to be
hostile and interpersonal sensitive. Those who show schizoid, schizoty
pal, dissocial and avoidant traits tend not to seek social support. Th
ose who show dependent and anxious traits tend to avoid difficult situ
ations and not to express their (anger) feelings. The multiple regress
ion analyses provided a more fine-grained analysis: hostility and inte
rpersonal sensitivity appeared to be the strongest independent predict
or of personality pathology. More particularly, hostility was high amo
ng those scoring high on mainly the dramatic (B) cluster disorders, wh
ereas interpersonal sensitivity appeared to be characteristic of patie
nts from the eccentric (A), the dramatic (B) and the fearful (C) clust
ers. In addition, PDs were characterised by the inability to handle st
ress situations in an active way (mainly observed among disorders from
the dramatic (B) and the fearful (C) clusters), an inability to use i
nterpersonal relations in order to receive social support (mainly obse
rved among disorders from the eccentric (A) and the dramatic (B) clust
ers), and the use of passive coping, which was observed among disorder
s from all three clusters. It is concluded that the assessment of symp
tomatology and coping may provide the primary mental health care worke
r with cues concerning the possible presence of personality pathology,
which could then subsequently be investigated. This may have importan
t implications for treatment; in cases of personality pathology, refer
ral to secondary mental health care might be appropriate. (C) 1997 Els
evier Science Ltd.